Methodological Innovation in the Final Project: the Case of Building Engineering

Abstract

The draft European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has involved a real change in the methodology of European education through the new European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) that focuses on active methodologies in all subjects of the study programme, including the final project. In order to adapt to the new EHEA, the School of Building Engineering, at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, has developed a new process for the Bachelor Final Project which started in the year 2010-2011. The Final Project is organized in different technical and scientific workshops of different contents, composed of 4 to 15 students, supervised by a team of teachers. Workshops are held in the eighth semester of the grade, and involve 12 ECTS credits equivalent to 360 hours of student work, to be resolved in four and a half months. The methodology used in these Final Project workshops is based on project-based learning (PBL). This active teaching methodology allows students to acquire the skills needed for their future professional performance and strengthens their self-learning. This paper aims to show the methodology of a workshop called "User-oriented design. Application of Kansei methodologies" conducted along 3 academic years. Results show that the PBL methodology developed in the workshop is appropriate for the acquisition of skills in small groups of students where they work collaboratively.